Monsanto (MON) Withdraws Genetically Modified Crop Applications to EU

French beekeepers demonstrate to protest the use of genetically-modified organisms in front of French Monsanto headquarters in Bron, near Lyon, France.
Reuters

French beekeepers protest against Spanish honey with pollen containing a genetically modified seed developed by Monsanto Corporation.
Reuters

Previous

1
of
2

Next

Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) will withdraw its applications seeking approval for genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe, according to European Union officials, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The majority of GM crop applications pending with the European Commission were from Monsanto, an EU spokesman told Bloomberg.

“It’s clear there isn’t a path to market and commercialize GM products for cultivation in Europe,” said Monsanto spokesman Mark Buckingham. “We need to focus our limited resources where we can get the best return. In Europe, there are significant opportunities in conventional breeding.”

In many states, lawmakers fear litigation stemming from the passage of GM legislation. A successful suit could strike down the laws and be an expensive blunder, if food companies or other parties show that such laws pre-empt the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or unfairly impede commercial speech or interstate commerce.